


A Soul For A Soul

by Chickadee12



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bodyswap, Canon has been taken out back and shot, I have no idea what Im doing but that's showbiz baby, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Iroh (Avatar) loves Tea, Long Feng is Awful, M/M, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Zuko gives unsolicited advice, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, no beta we die like jet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25878970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chickadee12/pseuds/Chickadee12
Summary: Sokka didn’t mean to touch the weird looking glow-thingy beneath Dai Li headquarters.Sokka also didn’t mean to pass out midway through escaping the tunnels--which kind of resulted in the death of a not-friend.Sokka definitely didn’t mean to wake up in the body of Prince Zuko (who might be his soulmate?), but I guess we are all the ostrich-horses of our own apocalypse.Zuko didn’t realize that abandoning his destiny would result in him waking up in the body of the Water Tribe boy he had been chasing for the past few months, but he supposes that at this point the spirits see fucking with him as their new favorite past time. Zuko also didn’t realize that his soulmate was the aforementioned Water Tribe boy…but that is more of a “ignore it and it will go away” type of problem.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 52
Kudos: 355





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this is my first ever published fic, and the idea wouldn't leave me alone so I am putting it here. I got this idea from watching Freaky Friday and sitting their like "huh" enemies to lovers. And then this was born. 
> 
> If anyone sees something that is incorrect and needs editing please let me know!! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the masterpiece that is Avatar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning in this chapter for a child's reaction to the death of a mother. It is nothing gory or overly detailed but stay safe!

“Millennia ago, before the first avatar learned the elements, before people learned the skill of bending at all, spirits walked the world. The most powerful spirits, the ones who have been here since creation, have always been able to straddle the lines between spirit and human. One such spirit was named Tui and she would walk the night sky, and illuminate the world below her.” 

“Why’d she walk in the sky Mama?” The young boy sat up in his mother’s lap, peering at her with large blue eyes. To him, the sky was very large, and walking it every night sounded extremely boring. There were other, more fun things to do, like penguin sledding, and ice fishing with his dad. His mother smiled, and lightly tapped his nose. 

“Tui didn’t want to be alone, and the other spirits in the sky were very far off. So Tui would always try to run and catch up with her brother, Agni, who also walked the sky, checking up on all of the animals on the earth.” 

“Why couldn’t she catch him?” 

“Agni was older than his sister, and so he was faster than her. His work was very important, he helped everything grow, so he couldn’t stop for her.” 

“Like how Katara always falls behind me when we are building snow huts?” The boy understood the drawbacks of little sisters. His sister, Katara, was only three, and her short legs would slow him down when they had to run errands together. He had complained of this earlier, leading Katara to start crying and their father deciding to distract her by taking her to visit their Gran Gran a few igloos down. The winter storm however, had set in quickly, leaving the boy and his mother to entertain themselves in the igloo until it ended. 

“Exactly Sokka,” said the woman, smiling down at her child. “As Tui walked the earth, chasing after Agni, she caught the attention of the Spirit of the Ocean, La. However, La was easily angered, and feared his anger hurting her. To solve this, he would pull away if she got too close. He resigned himself to never being noticed by the beautiful spirit. 

One night however, Tui heard the slapping of water against some rocks, and took a quick break in her walk to investigate. It was La. The spirit was struck senseless by her beauty, and the glow that surrounded her. He was so in awe, he forgot to draw away from Tui. When they saw each other, it was like magic. Tui didn’t feel as lonely, and La didn’t feel angry. They embraced, and circled each other, happy to have found a friend. They began to dance together, through the night. 

Unfortunately, Tui and La are very important spirits. La’s currents move ships across the waves, and help people find one another. Tui lights the darkness for those on land, so that they may find their loved ones. As Agni started his circle around the world, he noticed ships stranded in the middle of the ocean, and people wandering aimlessly on land, far from their families. Fearing for his sister, he raced as fast as he could, all over the world, until he found her, still dancing with La. Relieved, Agni went down, thankful his sister was safe. As he called her back to him, his sister began to cry, not wanting to be lonely anymore. Angry, La began to shout at Agni for taking his beloved away. The ocean began to rise, higher and higher, trying to pull the sun down. People raced up the clifftops, escaping the wall of water that chased them. 

Tui, through her tears, reminded La of their duties, for as Agni pulled her towards the sky, she saw the broken homes and lost souls wandering the earth. Calmed, La began to fall to the ground, shouting that because he loved her, he would honor her wishes and let her go with her brother. Seeing the love La had for his sister, and the happiness Tui had near him, Agni was moved. He pulled a great power from inside him, and touched Tui’s and La’s hands together. As they touched, the bond of soulmates formed, a circle around their upper arm, made to represent something the other found important. As Agni saw the happiness on his sister’s face, he did the same things to the humans on the land, so that they too could find their soulmates. Agni’s power was so great, that Tui’s and La’s energies circled around each other, creating balance in the world. As she walked the sky above him, he pushed his water towards her--they were in sync. Much like the spirits, humans would circle around their soulmates, and pairs would have a deep understanding of one another. Tui and La lived happily ever after, and soulmates were created, so that everyone had a chance to find true love.” 

“Do you and Dad have a soulmark?” The woman nodded, shifting her sleeve to reveal the band of beaded rope circling her upper arm in a spiral. The beads had shapes, some looking like a fish, others the moon, but all exact matches to the beads her husband wove through his hair. 

“Your father’s soulmark is a woven net across his upper arm.” The woman told her son, smiling at some far off memory. “When I realized my soulmate was your Dad, I was weaving a net I had worked all day on. Your Gran Gran, of course, demanded perfection in my weaving, so I kept having to stop and start again. Your father was too busy chasing Bato around camp to notice me sitting behind a log, quietly working. He had the bright idea to use the log as a stepping stone, and launch himself onto Bato’s back. Instead, he tripped and ended up getting hopelessly entangled in my net ruining it forever.” 

“Did you yell at him?” Sokka’s eyes were dancing with the thought of a strong guy like his Dad getting yelled at by a girl holding a fishing net. 

“Of course I did, and when I was done yelling at him, I grabbed him to help him up. I felt a tingling sensation in my arm, and when we checked beneath our sleeves our soulmarks were moving, in the way that happens when you truly connect with your soulmate.” 

“Where is my soulmark?” Asked Sokka, pulling at his furs to reveal his bare upper arm, and rubbing at the skin as if a picture would appear before his eyes. 

“Sokka, you’re still too young to have a soulmark. Soulmates get their marks when their spirits are ready to go searching for a soulmate, usually, this happens around a child’s tenth birthday. Your Gran Gran liked to call it the Spirit’s birthday present. Occasionally, the appearance of a soul mark could happen earlier or later, whenever a child’s spirit feels the need to welcome someone else into their lives, ready to start searching outside the home.” 

Sokka shook his head burrowing closer into his mother. Personally, he felt that his soulmark would never come. He could never imagine leaving his family and searching to find some strange person far away from all he knows. He mumbled into his mother’s coat that he would miss her too much. 

“I’d miss you too baby, but don’t worry. I’ll always be right. Here.” Punctuating the last two words with a poke to her son's chest, she then dragged the finger up to tickle him on the nose. Laughing Sokka returned the tickles, and mother and son’s laughter could be heard even outside the igloo, as the winter storm raged on. 

Time passed, Sokka grew older, and privately held on to the idea of a soulmate. He would search the faces of the children from other villages, who visited with their parents during trading days. He would go to bed at night, coming up with the traits of his soulmate. Would they be tall? How blue would their eyes be? Could they be from a different nation? What was their name? Sokka's desire to meet this mysterious person grew every day, each time his Gran Gran would tell a story to the younger children, each time his father and mother looked at each other with love in their eyes. As excited as he was to meet this person, he had a secret fear that meeting them would make him leave his family, leave the people that he loved more than anything in the world. Sokka looked at his family, and decided his soulmate could wait. 

To quote his sister, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. 

Six years later, Sokka stood outside the trampled igloo with his sobbing sister, as their father howled into the wind. Choking back tears, he felt as though a giant hole was carved deep into his chest, stealing his breath and hurting his heart. He pulled his sister close, and resolved to protect her, guilt welling up at the thought that he wasn’t there as some fire wielding coward hurt his family. 

The next morning, Sokka woke up screaming, at the feeling of a hot iron circling his upper arm. Katara had sat on his chest to hold him down, and their father shoved a piece of leather between his teeth to keep him from biting his tongue off. When the pain cleared his family left the igloo, giving him the privacy to look at the mark in peace. Steeling himself, he looked down at his arm, to see the image of two swords, tip to hilt, circling his bicep. Upon closer inspection he noticed that woven around the swords was what looked like a thread of gold fire. The fire was close to the blades, but did not burn them. A controlled fire. Sokka knew his soulmark was a lie. Fire wasn’t controlled, it burnt and ate up everything it touched. 

It isn’t a lie. Said a small voice inside of him. My soulmate is good. I know it. Sokka pushed that traitorous part of him down. The fire nation was their enemy, right? He thought of his father’s cries, the darkness in his sister’s eyes. The way the little girl curled up next to their still mother in the snow. The fire nation was bad. He thought of that controlled fire, dancing around the blades, a bright, happy gold. The fire nation is bad, but maybe, my soulmate is good. 

Tears in his eyes, he pulled his overcoat on, covering the mark. Leaving the igloo, he merely shook his head at his sister’s questioning glance, walking to the shoreline and staring at his red faced reflection in the water. 

Happy fucking birthday to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baby Sokka: I hope my soulmate and family get along 
> 
> Zuko: *rolls up in a warship and threatens Gran Gran*


	2. Sokka Steals Government Property

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sokka and Jet share one brain cell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took, so long, just started my first week of college. But anyway here she is!
> 
> Shoutout to this one kid in my public speaking class who ate half a chocolate cake while on zoom, this chapter is dedicated to you buddy 
> 
> Also commentary on languages was inspired by this tumblr post: https://itszukkatime.tumblr.com/post/622947977216114689/atla-except-languages in this fic I have it where everyone speaks a pretty similar overarching language, but different nations have their own native dialect. Each area in that region has a more local slang and so on and so forth. So Aang pretty much knows each nation's general language from his time with the monks, but his slang is 100+ years old. In addition to the overarching language Sokka and Katara speak Water Tribe with Southern Slang, which led to some confusion in the Northern tribe. Toph speaks the nobility's version of earth-kingdom, and learned some of the more academic languages with her tutors. She also knows curse words like nobody's business cause of earth rumble 6. Zuko, like Aang, can speak the four general languages but sounds like a Prince when he speaks. Zuko can also read academically cause of his time chasing the avatar and reading lore. 
> 
> I use the academic language because a place as elitist as Ba Sing Se wouldn't just leave important information for anyone. This ensures secrecy about wars and a control on the flows of information.

“Young man, what do you think you are doing?” Sokka really wished he had an answer for the guy, but he was also asking himself that question. Finding Appa was a no go--though how you move a ten ton animal thought to be extinct for the last 100 years through a city without anyone noticing was a mystery to Sokka--so now they had no quick escape from the Dai Li headquarters. The only way they could make it back to the city was stealth, which honestly, three (pre-)teenage bending prodigies weren’t the best at. It was up to Toph and Aang to dig them out of the maze of tunnels, up to Lake Laogai, where Katara and her freaky water powers would step in and even the odds. All of this of course hinged on not getting kidnapped and brainwashed by the secret governmental organization who built the very bunker they were escaping from. 

Simple, right? 

Well, when Sokka got used as a distraction, it was. He and Jet were responsible for running through the tunnels and destroying as much as possible. The rest of the Boomer-gaang (the name would catch on, he knew it) would meet up with them via Toph, and they would all bust out together. The bright side of course was that the Dai Li would worry less about hunting his friends, more focused on the idiots running through a--and he cannot stress this enough-- SECRET GOVERNMENT FACILITY like chicken-pigs without heads. The dark side was that he was one of the idiots. 

After around ten minutes of running for his life, and destroying random government property Sokka took a sharp left and stumbled into some sort of antechamber. Pushed up against the walls were cases upon cases of what appeared to be books and scrolls. Behind him, Sokka heard the agents take a right, and their steps got fainter and fainter. He stepped closer to the shelves, grabbing one of the books that had significantly less dust than the others. He threw another glance over his shoulder, the hallway was empty, the door was closed. He had time. 

Sokka looked down at the cover. It was a simple brown, and on it, written in the academic Earth Kingdom dialect Sokka was able to make out a few words: Study…link…bonded….soul. Written by...Zei. Zei… Zei.. right. Zei was the Professor who got stuck in the library. The one who was studying soulmates, but he called them  _ bonded souls _ . Sokka shuddered at the memory of the large owl-spirit, looking back down at the book. Was it possible that Zei had been able to do some research into the bonds between soulmates prior to his descent into the desert? Did he write what he knew down, only for the book to be locked in a room far from the light of day? What were the chances the book was even accurate? Sokka had a mission. He shouldn’t be standing in a random room, waiting for some Dai Li agents to walk in and arrest him. Sokka should be moving, and trying to circle around back to the tunnel Aang and Toph made, where they would eventually meet up and escape. He should put the book, and soulmates, out of his mind and focus on the mission at hand. 

But... Sokka remembered the hot brand closing around his arm, and feeling like the pain would never stop. He thought of the random bouts of sadness or anger he would feel, or that one time he felt terror so strong he had turned around and puked into a random snowbank for hours. He had realized a few hours later that the terror had come from his soulmate, which caused him to start screaming that something was wrong--his father was given some medicine to sedate him for an hour. After that, there would only be a depressed fog, significantly weaker than before. Could this book help explain what had happened to his soulmate? Deep down, Sokka worried that his soulmate could have died, long before he ever got a chance to meet them. Occasionally, Sokka would feel a punch of something stronger in his gut: loneliness, anger, despair, and very very rarely a shine of happiness. Sokka held on to all of these, because it was proof that his soulmate was still there. If this book could help him find them...part of Sokka that sounded wayyyyyyy too much like Katara told him he didn’t want to know, put the book down and get back on track. 

“Curiosity may have killed the hare-cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” Sokka mumbled as he opened the book to a random page. 

It ... around .... ten, people …. Bonding. ... this, a .... a moment of intense pain, .... core element. After ... Bonding that person is ... soulmate, regardless... soulmate... Bonded.... This ... Bonding … internal .... creation ... A soulmate’s Bonding .... experience, ... physical .... soulmate. Soulmates.... circle one ... whole. A soulmate’s .... linked ... spirit-world ... bond ... control one soulmate’s .... emotions ... possible to use spirit .... Bond, ... closer. .. has never.... unclear. ... soulmates’ bodies, ...spirit-world. 

Right, it’s a study from the earth kingdom, it would be written in their academic text. Cursing, Sokka slammed the book shut with a huff, the words he could make out were repetitive, bonding soulmate, blah, blah, blah. However, there was something there that could be useful, the part about the intense pain and core element sounded a lot like what happened when he was younger. It was a well-kept secret that his soulmate was from the fire nation, being from the south pole there were few opportunities to wear short sleeves. Opening the book again Sokka saw the words emotions and the hyphenated form of spirit-world. Everyone knew that the presence of soulmates stemmed from the spirit world, could the watered down emotions be because there was some issue with the spirit mumbo jumbo? That would be just Sokka’s luck, spirit world shenanigans fucking up hi--

“HEY LOOK WHAT I JUST FOUND” That would be Jet, fucking up his thoughts. 

“Let me guess... an innocent person who just happens to be a fire nation plant, and now we have to kill him because you can’t understand the idea of moderation?” Was Sokka being harsh? Maybe. Did Jet deserve it? Tui and La, yes. Jet tilted his head to the side, chewed on that fucking wheat stick, and kept going. 

“No, if you go down that hallway there’s this weird looking machine thing, it’s glowing.” 

“Let me get this straight....a glowing weird looking machine thing?”

“It looks expensive.” Said Jet, as a smirk slowly crawled across his face, giving him that roguish look that while attractive, was also extremely punchable. Sighing, Sokka took his book and threw it in his knapsack. Aang knew a bunch of different languages, and worst comes to worst he could always try to read it out loud and have Toph fill in the blanks. They had a mission, and as much as he wanted to stay in here and read all day, he could hear sounds of earth bending from, down the hallway. Quickly, Sokka grabbed a random scroll that was tucked behind the book on a shelf, and threw it into his bag. When in doubt, steal more shit. The earthbending got louder, now accompanied by shouting--the Dai Li were getting closer. 

“Okay, bring me to the machine thing” 

  
  
  
  


The machine thing was certainly weird. It was in a sparsely decorated dark room, containing a chair with stone manacles, and a metal table. On top of the metal table was the machine-a glass sphere with metal tubes running through it. One tube extended out towards the chair, where leather hung from the end of it. With mounting nausea Sokka realized it was like a bit you put around an ostrich horse’s mouth, something to keep the head close and contained. While horrible, this still wasn’t the weirdest thing about the machine. Inside the glass sphere was some glowing substance that moved, pressing up against the walls almost like it was alive. Sokka knew that glow, it was the same blue glow Hei Bai had hit him with before he was locked in the spirit world for twenty four hours. Spirit energy, the Dai Li was using spirit energy. Fuck. 

“Jet, stay away from that thing I don’t know what it does.” Sokka watched as Jet swaggered over to the machine, lifting up the strip of leather. Jet scoffed, tossing the leather back down and letting it swing. 

“What, scared I’m going to get brainwashed again? There’s no one here to brainwash me.” Spreading his arms Jet spun around marching closer to the machine at the center of the room. As he walked, Sokka was able to see the section of floor that had been previously blocked by Jet’s body. There was a dark stain around the chair, splatters near where the arms and legs were, as if someone rubbed their wrists raw trying to get out. 

“Jet. We need to leave. Now.” Sokka was aware his voice rose in pitch, but he really didn’t want to be in this room anymore. In fact, he would almost prefer running from the Dai Li. 

“What, you scared? We’re going to be fine….no? Whatever. Just let me take this with me first.” Jet reached forwards almost as though he was going to take the sphere with him. Sokka lunged forward, he may not like Jet but he really didn’t want to know what would happen if he touched the machine thingy. As he pushed Jet away from the machine, the door shattered open and standing in the doorway stood three Dai Li agents, eyes locked on the sphere in the center of the room. 

“Come towards us peacefully and you won’t be harmed.” said the agent in front, hands outstretched in front of him in a calming manner. 

“They’re lying.” Jet was backing away, putting the machine between himself and the agents. Sokka felt a hand around his arm, and he was yanked so that he was shoulder to shoulder with Jet, looking over the machine at the agents. 

“Gee, you really think so?” But Sokka knew what Jet was getting at. Why bother lying when you could shoot rock-cuffs at people and drag them off to be brainwashed. Neither he nor Jet were benders, and as fast as the two of them were, they were already outnumbered. It was a stone cavern, the Dai Li had the advantage, just rush them and be done with it. If they were lying, it meant they didn’t want to risk earthbending. Jet and him weren’t nearly important enough to be delivered to Long Feng undamaged, hell the guy would encourage giving them both nasty concussions. 

They were protecting the machine. Jet looked at Sokka, and then back at the machine. Then back at Sokka. 

“I fucking hate your ideas.” Sokka stepped forward so he was right up against the machine, too close to get a clean hit on. He lifted his boomerang right above the glass sphere. 

“One more step and the sphere gets it.” The Dai Li agents froze, stopping their slow creeping into the room. Sokka knew that Jet was protecting his back, hook swords warding off any sneak attacks. The first agent put his hands up in the universal gesture for please-back-away-from-the dangerous-item-you-wackjob. The second agent took a few steps back. His eyes were darting around, looking for something that could help. Not fucking likely buddy. The third agent--where was the third agent? The second agent’s eyes locked on something behind Sokka. 

Shit. 

Sokka felt movement behind him, and a hand at his back shoving him forward. He landed, jarring his shoulder, and rolled into a standing position. The third agent had somehow snuck around them, and threw himself into Jet. The two of them were locked in hand to hand combat. Sokka ducked the fist of one of the agents, spinning low and throwing an elbow into their gut. It was too tight to use Boomerang, so Sokka was stuck throwing elbows and kicks at earthbenders who couldn’t bend. Their only chance of survival was to keep the fight in close quarters, without touching the sphere and hope that they could either knock out the agents, or that someone could come and get them. 

Roll, punch, duck, kick, scream, punch, kick. The movements went on and on. Jet had managed to use his hook swords and was jerking one of the agents around by the collar. Sokka’s muscles burned, but he poured his energy into staying light on his feet. The gloves the agents wore were stone and metal, and one hit would probably stun him long enough to be pulled away in chains. The other two agents were unaccustomed to fighting without bending, giving Sokka a slight edge. Sokka was used to wrestling on the ground with some of the older tribe members back home, and the beatdown he received upon meeting Suki was twenty times worse than what these agents were dishing out. Sokka threw his body into one of the katas the Kyoshi warriors used and finished it off by blocking a punch with his wrist guard. As he rolled away from an agent lunging at his back Sokka longed for Suki’s sharp fans, but the Dai Li clearly weren’t used to the no holds barred fighting style of pure desperation. Also, mortal terror really lets you tap into previously unknown skills so Sokka gave himself a 75% chance of survival if nothing went wrong in the next thirty seconds. 

Of course, that is when the universe decided to spice things up. Jet swung wide with his swords and the agent he was fighting stumbled back--right into the table holding the machine. The fighting stopped for a brief moment, everyone holding their breath as the table tipped from leg to leg, the sphere rolling back and forth. The table gave one last tilt, and the sphere rolled off, right towards the stone ground where it would no doubt shatter. Sokka’s body moved almost involuntarily, sliding across the floor to catch the falling sphere before it could shatter. The second the glass touched his hands, Sokka was aware he fucked up. 

It was hot. Searing hot. Sokka heard himself screaming and felt his body writhe across the floor, but his mind wasn’t processing it. The only thought in his head was HOT. He felt the searing heat in his eyes, pushing against the tightly shut lids. He felt yanking at the sphere, pulling it away from him as he flopped on the floor like an eagle-fish pulled onto ice. He was crying, and he tasted blood in his mouth. The pain lessened slightly, enough for him to open his eyes and see the world bathed in red. He felt himself pulled up, leaning his weight almost entirely on...Jet. Jet had an arm around his waist and was almost carrying him through the tunnels. Sokka mustered all of his remaining strength and let out a few words. 

“....Dai Li?” 

“They got blasted back when you grabbed the sphere. They hit the wall pretty hard, I think they got knocked out but you started screaming. I didn’t stop to check.” 

“Sphere...where?” 

“I used my hooks to pull it out of your hands, I pushed it back across the room. I don’t think anyone is going to be in a hurry to grab it...Sokka? Sokka come on man stay with me. You are not allowed to pass out on my you fuck. Sokka, Sokka wake up!” 

Sokka tried to hold on but he felt almost ...fuzzy? He heard voices, like he was underwater but his vision went black. He should open his eyes. Open his eyes, were they open. No but...he was stuck, down deep in the dark. He thought he heard his sister scream, he struggled trying to get to her, but the dark pulled him deeper and deeper. 

Everything went quiet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sokka grabbing the sphere without knowing what it does is my version of Bella breaking her back to grab a cup of blood despite being surrounded by vampires with super speed in Breaking Dawn. 
> 
> Also I promise Zuko will be in the next chapter, I just got a little distracted talking about earth kingdom dialogue like a nerd.


	3. Zuko Goes for A Nightime Swim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sokka and Zuko don't handle change well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this a chapter of Zuko angst? Yes. 
> 
> Also I played with the timeline a bit, so Zuko's "i did good?" coma is now a day shorter, and the Gaang decides to stay hidden for an extra day.

Zuko and Iroh didn’t say much on their way home from the Dai Li’s headquarters. The only words exchanged were Iroh asking if Zuko was ready to leave, long after the blue spirit mask sank beneath the lake. Neither of them spoke about what happened in the Bison’s jail cell, or the agents Zuko had knocked out on their way back up. Iroh neglected to mention the silent tears rolling down his nephew’s face as they walked farther and farther from a piece of Zuko that, Iroh suspected, was ready to be cut free long ago. That was fine for Zuko, he really didn’t feel like talking anyway. His mind was busy turning over each of the decisions he’d made since stepping foot into the city. 

Jet’s strong hand clapping him on the back in the moonlight. The low rasp of his voice and crooked smile. The shine in his eyes as he talked about the other freedom fighters. 

The relieved faces of the other refugees as they took in the high walls of the city. The walls even the Dragon of the West hadn’t been able to breach. 

Jet’s face when the boy crashed into the tea shop, the betrayal on his face as he shouted that Uncle Iroh was a bender. The clash of their swords. The desperation in the way he struggled against the guards. 

Running along the rooftops in his mask. The way the tiles would creak as he hopped from foot to foot. Standing on the tallest roof he could find and looking across the city at all the lights and people, living in safety. 

Sweeping the floor of the shop and burning his tenth cup of tea that day. The smell of the old ladies perfume melding with the aroma of the tea leaves to make something heady. His tired arms protesting as he lost himself in the rhythm of scrubbing dishes.

Jin’s smiling face as she looked at the glowing lanterns. Her soft hands cupping his cheek. The way she looked him in the eyes, despite the scar. Even softer lips against his own and her laugh as she ran through the city streets, utterly free. 

Lying on his pallet in the apartment he shared with his Uncle. Practicing his dao in the courtyard as the marketplaces opened and people began sharing their wares. Children laughing as they played ball out on the street. 

The way the Bison flinched away from him when he slipped into the cell. The soft feeling of its fur as it nuzzled against him, similar to the way the baby turtle ducks would swim into his hand when he would visit the pond at home. A home he would never see again. 

_ It’s because you’re weak Zuzu. You’ve always been weak. You always will be.  _ Azula’s voice sang in his head. He was weak, he learned that a long time ago. The question was, was he okay with being weak? Was he okay with never seeing his home again? Never walking through the halls of the palace, eating his favorite spicy noodles from the shop next to the theater. Never stopping next to the turtleduck pond, or helping his Uncle decorate Lu Ten’s grave on his birthday. Never getting any recognition from his father, never seeing his sister again despite how much she’s changed. Never get to see the picture of his mother, feel a hug from Ty Lee, or attempt to make Mai laugh. Was he okay with this being his life? Dealing with cranky customers, haggling with Old Ai down at the town square, feeling his neck heat up in embarrassment when Jin walked in, making a life here? 

Zuko wasn’t sure what was scarier: the fact that he may not have a choice or the fact that he might not mind. 

On his upper arm, an old scar twinged in what felt like approval. Would this help him find them? Would he ever be able too? Did he want to?  _ One life crisis at a time Zuko.  _

Finally, Zuko and Iroh turned onto the familiar streets in their part of the lower ring. There was a persistent icy pain cutting through the muscle above his right eyebrow. He reached a hand up towards it only for his arm to flare up in even more pain. His head began to droop and he felt his dao drag against the ground in a way that Master Piandao would have killed him for. He didn’t care, the pain was getting more and more intense, and he just wanted to go home. 

Uncle Iroh unlocked the door, and the two of them stumbled into the apartment. Zuko was out of it. He could barely remember the walk up the stairs. 

“You did the right thing. Letting the Avatar’s bison go free.” 

“I don’t feel right.” Zuko hit the ground hard, icy pain filling his body and piercing his heart. He let out a guttural scream feeling as though his body was being frozen and shocked all at once. The pain abated ever so slightly, enough for Zuko to hear his uncle yelling his name. 

“Uncle…” Zuko tried to reach a hand towards the concerned face hovering over him. Instead, he passed out. 

  
  
  
  


Zuko was sitting on Ozai’s throne, fire roaring up between him and the crowd below. He sat back straight, hands folded, the way he saw the firelord sit countless times. With a jolt, he realized he could see out of his left eye. There was no scar. Two dragons descended from above and started circling around him ominously, the way predators circle particularly helpless prey. 

“ _ It’s getting late. Are you planning to retire soon, My Lord”  _ The Blue Dragon whispered in Azula’s voice surrounding him. There was repressed laughter as it danced over the words My Lord... she called him My Lord… but that meant--

_ “I’m not tired.”  _ It was his voice, but different. More confident, with an edge of impatience. He realized he sounded like Ozai. 

_ “Relax Fire Lord Zuko, just let go. Give into it, shut your eyes for a while.”  _ The dragon was taunting him now, waiting for him to go to sleep like a hawk-cat waits for a butterfly-mouse to exit its hole in the tree. 

_ “PRINCE ZUKO NO! DO NOT LISTEN TO THE BLUE DRAGON! YOU MUST LEAVE THIS PLACE”  _ The red dragon was shouting at him, in a voice that sounded like Uncle Iroh’s. As the dragons swirled around each other in a deadly dance, the doors to the throne room crashed open. A familiar figure was rushing down the aisle towards him, beckoning Zuko forwards. Zuko watched in horror as the blue dragon set their sights on the figure. He reached forward, and felt himself tumble down, down, down as Azula laughed. 

Zuko landed on his knees in the Agni Kai arena. His father walked toward him, and just like on that day pressed one hand to his face and wrapped the other around his soulmark. He screamed in agony, and his screams were echoed by a woman. It was his mother, she was screaming for him. 

Suddenly he was ten again, back in his room at the palace. His mother was holding him as tears slipped down his face. 

_ “Am I really such a disgrace to Father Mom?”  _ His father, upon seeing his brand new soulmark, had called him weak and a disgrace. Zuko was told he was  _ lucky to be born _ as his sister snickered. 

“ _ No baby, you make me so proud”  _ Ursa held her son close, as if she could squeeze the bad memories out of him.  _ “Your father is just scared because you are different from him, and people fear what they cannot understand.”  _

_ “I don’t want to be different anymore, I want to be strong.”  _

_ “Your differences make you strong, baby. You are strong, just in your own way. Do you want to know a secret?”  _ Zuko nodded, leaning in close to his mother. She tapped his nose “ _ I think you are stronger than even your father knows. I think one day, you’ll be stronger than even him. Now, dry your tears. Uncle and Lu Ten have taken a break from the front to celebrate your bonding. They’ll have the hotcakes you like so much.” _ Zuko nodded and wiped at his eyes, watching as his mother got up and left the room. He took one look down at his soulmark, unscarred and whole. There running a circle around his arm, was a wolf chasing a crescent moon. It wasn’t a fire nation mark. It was other, different. 

_ “Your differences make you strong.”  _

Zuko was back on his ship. He was standing on the deck of The Gray Dragon, feeling the rain pelt against his face. To his left, thunder crashed loud enough to be heard even with his bad ear. He felt his stomach drop out from under him as the vessel was tossed about in the waves, much like a child throws a hot pastry from hand to hand. As he looked frantically around the ship for his Uncle he saw random scorched patches of deck, and debris hanging. The tall watchtower was cracked down the middle, and the top half seemed to be glowing a strange green color. The holes in the deck were also filled with that green color, almost as if the ship belonged to the spirits that dwelt beneath the deep. Out of the corner of his right eye, he saw what looked to be a flying bison, disappearing into the clouds. Zuko remembered this storm. He remembered ignoring Uncle’s worries, yelling at his crew, following the Bison deep into the storm. He remembered the rain, and mountain sized waves, and climbing the watchtower with Jee to save the helmsman. 

Zuko looked up, but instead of a terrified crew member, there was Uncle. He was clinging to the ladder, hair sticking to his neck with rain. He was shouting, but rain kept pouring into his mouth, making him choke on his words. The ship tilted dangerously to the side and Uncle’s hands began to slip. 

“Uncle! Hang on!” Zuko took off towards the tower, sliding across the wet deck. Reaching the ladder, he threw his body upwards racing to reach his uncle before the man fell. He grabbed one of the buckles of his uniform, and used it to lash Uncle to the steps of the ladder holding him there so he would not fall off. However, Zuko was only holding on with one hand. A wave hit the ship, and Zuko lost his footing, falling into the deep sea below. 

The waves were strong, pulling him this way and that. Luckily, his heavy metal armor was halfway off already, allowing him to push off the heavy chestplate. Following the bubbles emitted by his breath Zuko kicked up towards the surface. As he gasped for air, he glanced around for his ship. It was gone. Had the current pushed him out that far? The water was cold, and the sea spray flew into his face, clogging his nose. He couldn't survive in the water for long. His chi was already weaker at night, and prolonged exposure to the cold water risked snuffing it out entirely. He would be sick for weeks, if it didn't kill him. Zuko looked around desperately, out of the corner of his eye, Zuko saw a strange flash of blue light. The moon reflecting off his ship maybe? Part of Zuko knew this was just a dream; he would wake up warm and safe in his Lower Ring apartment. But it still felt so real… The blue light flashed again and Zuko kept swimming. 

A large wave came and pushed him under. Suddenly, he was much younger and running on the beach in Ember Island, chasing after Azula who giggled and screeched as she dodged him. They ran into the surf and almost got knocked over by a small wave. 

_ He was running through snow, and the girl he was chasing had a big coat on and kept calling him Sokka. She was yelling at him to stop chasing her with a fish, and when he got closer she threw snow at him and he fell back. She jumped on top of him and started shoveling snow into his jacket as he laughed.  _

Zuko surfaced and shook his head, what in the name of Agni was that? The blue light flashed again, closer this time. Zuko added more power to his strokes and swam forward, in time for another wave to throw him beneath the surface. Now, Zuko was sitting in the fountain with Mai as Azula and Ty Lee laughed at them. He saw tears in Mai’s eyes as she looked at Ty Lee and without thinking blasted fire at his sister. His mother ran over and scolded him for it, it was the maddest she ever got at him. 

_ He was being pushed into the snow by one of the older boys behind the igloos. He had caught more fish than him, and the boy was embarrassed and decided to take it out on the smaller child. He twisted, and managed to hit the boy with the end of his fishing pole, just as Gran Gran left her hut to see what the commotion was about. He was scolded, and sent to bed without dessert.  _

Zuko surfaced in confusion. He didn’t have a Gran Gran, the only grandparent he ever met was Fire Lord Azulon. The blue light was in front of him now, illuminating a small wooden fishing boat. On the boat was an old man, holding a hand out towards him. 

“There ya are. You know boy, if you die in the ocean, you aren’t getting paid for the fish you can’t catch.” Fish. He was catching fish? Zuko had never gone fishing a day in his life. He certainly never saw this old man. But a boat was a boat, and Zuko took the hand and allowed himself to be pulled on board. He closed his eyes, and finally his sleep turned dreamless. 

“Sokka, Sokka please wake up. Sokka!” There were hands pushing at his shoulder, insistent hands, kicking him out of sleep. 

“One more minute Uncle.” 

“Sokka what are you talking about? It’s me. Katara.” Katara. Zuko shot awake and rolled into a defensive position. If she was here then that meant the Avatar wasn’t far behind. Maybe he could find a way to capture him. Bring him back to his father--no. He wasn’t doing that anymore. 

“Sokka what is wrong with you? Are you okay? Did the spirit machine do something?” Wait. Why was she calling him Sokka? What did she mean by “spirit machine”? Zuko took in his surroundings. They were on what seemed to be a beach, on the edge of a calm body of water. As he looked closer, he could see his reflection in the water. Except… it wasn’t him. Dark skin, bright blue eyes, ridiculous haircut...he was looking into the face of Sokka, the water tribe warrior. Except, it was his face. Which meant he was… 

For the second time in as many days, Zuko fainted. 

  
  
  


Sokka woke up with a dull pain over his left eye, and the smell of something delicious permeating the air around him. He could hear movement off to his left, but it was strangely...muffled. Blinking he pushed himself up onto his elbows and felt a hard wooden floor beneath him. How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was passing out in Jet’s arms (embarrassing) and then a bunch of weird dreams, involving storms and Prince Zuko of all people. That sphere must have really fucked with his head or something, because Sokka was pretty sure he knew nothing about that kid’s childhood, and to dream about it...

“You slept late today Prince Zuko.” Sokka whirled around, and saw the Prince’s uncle of all people calmly stirring a pot over the stove. He must be dreaming. There was no way he was sitting in an apartment with the Uncle of his (ex?) arch nemesis. But it felt too  _ real _ to be a dream. Sokka looked down and saw his hands, except they weren’t _ his  _ hands. They were pale, and longer, and he didn’t have the scar he got from the time two fish hooks were caught in his thumb. That wasn’t his hand--and, and his face wasn’t his face.

Sokka started screaming. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sokka: *screaming*
> 
> Iroh: Ah yes, so much conflict inside you Prince Zuko. Here, have some tea. 
> 
> Sokka: *screams louder*


	4. Sokka Discovers the Joys of Customer Service

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sokka and Zuko try their hands at deception.

Sokka was still screaming. The nice old man, Sokka thought he might be Zuko’s uncle but he wasn’t sure, had offered him tea but the knowledge that other people could see him and it wasn’t a dream made things worse. Sokka knew this was very unbecoming behavior from the Last Warrior of the Southern Water Tribe but he frankly challenged Dad to wake up in his (ex) arch-enemy’s body and  _ not  _ have a screaming fit or pass out. The old man backed away slowly, putting the tea cup behind his back the way one might hide a knife from the skittish animal they are trying to hunt. 

“Do not worry Prince Zuko, I sense your energies are conflicted but you are on your path to make things right.” Oh, okay so the guy thought he was Zuko. I mean makes sense since Sokka was in his body and all (no, not like that) but it was nice to know that this guy wasn’t going to whip out some ancient fire nation torture techniques. Uncle (Sokka had nothing else to call him) didn’t suspect a thing, Sokka was in the clear deep inside enemy lines, there was no way anyone would realize he and Zuko switched bodies--

Wait. 

_ Fuck.  _

_ If Sokka and Zuko switched bodies, that meant that Zuko was with Katara and the rest of the group.  _ They wouldn’t realize, why would they? It was just Sokka, the big brother. Sokka who went through a painful ordeal and would therefore be excused from acting slightly strange. Sokka whose behavior would be written off, Sokka who was the plan guy. Sokka’s body, which for Zuko, was also deep behind enemy lines. Deep enough that his friends would be completely caught off guard by any deception. Deception such as selling Aang out to the Firelord. Sokka fought back horrible visions of Aang kneeling before the Firelord in chains, Toph strung up away from the ground, Katara, his baby sister, fighting off a horde of fire nation soldiers. Sokka  _ had  _ to save them. 

And so, forgetting completely about the fact that Zuko was in a non-bender's body up three to one against two masters and the Avatar, Sokka got up and planned his sneaky escape. Which boiled down to running as fast as he could at the door while screaming. Unfortunately, Sokka did not realize his peripheral vision was out in one eye, and his depth perception was completely off. This of course, resulted in Sokka running right into the door frame, and then falling back while Uncle made cooing noises and told him he needed to calm down. 

“Prince Zuko, the conflict is not good for you. You could injure yourself. Have some tea. It is the earliest worm that often finds himself victim to the birds. You must sit back and wait for the right time to embark on your destiny” Uncle came over again with a piping hot mug of tea, gently setting it in Sokka’s hands. He did so quietly, which was nice because it gave Sokka some time to figure out what the heck that metaphor meant. He stared into his mug of tea and brooded. 

As loathe as Sokka was to admit it, Uncle was right. He couldn’t accomplish anything while panicking like this, and besides he didn’t even know if he and Zuko actually switched bodies. Zuko could be trapped in the spirit world, staring Sokka down with his freakishly piercing gaze, while Sokka’s body was in a coma somewhere. Or Jet, Sokka, and the Earthbending agents all switched bodies and Zuko got thrown into the mix to even things out. That particular thought brought up the horrifying mental image of Jet or the Dai Li having full possession of his body, and Sokka repressed a full body shudder. He honestly preferred the coma theory. 

Either way, the best thing to do was lay low, gain Uncle’s trust, and gather as much information as possible. Sokka didn’t even know where they were, or how long it would take to reach his friends. They probably wouldn’t even believe him, how often is it that your (ex) arch enemy shows up and is like  _ heyyyyyyy i'm actually your brother, Sokka of the Water Tribe. Oh the new body you ask? Yeah, I’m just renting for the indeterminate future. Weird Right? Now please get out of the Avatar state.  _ Yeah, no way. Toph would smash him to pieces on the spot, let alone what freaky magic water Katara would unleash on someone she thought was taking advantage of her brother’s injuries. 

Sokka sipped some more tea. Say what you want about the Fire Nation, but they knew their way around tea. He began to form a plan. 

He was going to sit here, drink this annoyingly good tea and lay in wait, like a tigerdillo waiting to pounce. He was a genius, master of reconnaissance. As soon as any relevant information came up, he would exploit it and return back to his body triumphant. Sokka was ready. 

“Since you feel well enough to fight walls Prince Zuko, you wouldn’t mind helping an old Uncle out in the teashop would you?” Uncle held out what looked to be a serving uniform with a large grin on his face. 

“Sure…” Was this the nefarious plan of the Fire Nation? Infiltrate the Earth Kingdom and then gain knowledge of the inner workings by producing phenomenal tea and gaining trust through customer service. Clearly Zuko was smarter than Sokka gave him credit for, he would have to visit this tea shop. For the mission. 

  
  
  
  
  


“This is all for the mission. This is all for the mission. Come back a hero. Do it for Aang. Remember the mission.” Sokka had been muttering various versions of this for the past two hours. People sucked. If it wasn’t small children spilling scorching hot tea all over the tables for him to clean up, it was old ladies complaining about their tea being too watery. Tea was just Hot Leaf Water! Of course it was watery! After he mentioned this to Uncle, who was apparently named Mushi, he got an hour long lecture on the intricacies of tea and how this was the second time Zuko had said something so disrespectful to him. He never thought he'd share an opinion with Mr. Angry, but he also never thought he'd be in anyone's body beside his own. Wait not like that! Ugh, what Sokka meant was that this was all very unexpected. 

“Excuse me, young man? Yes you, don’t just stand there like a lump, I have a problem.” It was a middle aged woman, who was wearing so much perfume that Sokka honestly wanted to choke. Her teeth were a disgusting yellow, blocked by the slash of red lipstick. When she spoke, the mustache hairs on her upper lip waved like blades of grass in the wind. 

“How can I help ma’am?” Sokka tried to inject as much no-I-love-my-life-why-do-you-ask into his voice as possible. 

“Do you have anything other than tea? I hate tea, and that’s all you have on the menu.” 

“Ma’am this is a tea shop. We sell tea.” 

“Well I demand to be served something else! What do you have?” Sokka longed to dump the flowerpot that was sitting next to him on the counter over her head, but forced himself to remain calm. Remember the mission. Remember the mission. 

“Maybe you could try our newest invention: Leaf Juice! It’s the uhhh… all-natural counterpart to tea, tastes completely different, and has um, health benefits!” That’s right. Sokka was the Man with the Plan. 

“Sounds wonderful, I’ll take two.” 

Sokka tried to shake off the guilt at charging this woman double the usual price of tea, but honestly who comes into a  _ tea shop  _ and says they  _ don’t like tea?  _ This was why the Earth Kingdom was losing the war, Sokka was positive. Besides, every time she looked at Zuko’s eye her lip would curl in a condescending way and she just kept staring. Did no one have manners anymore? 

_ You have no room to talk, you practically ogled him in the mirror earlier  _ a reproachful voice that sounded way too much like Katara said in his head.  _ Shut up, _ Sokka said to himself. He wasn’t  _ ogling  _ Zuko, he would never! Zuko was the enemy! Sokka was just… checking to make sure he had all the correct limbs? Exactly! He definitely wasn’t looking at the harsh angry scar that covered the upper right arm, exactly where a soulmark would be. He definitely wasn’t holding the soulmark up to the light, trying to distinguish the markings that were hidden under a layer of scar tissue. 

Leave him alone, he was curious. It was hard to get rid of the soulmark, as they were ingrained in the person’s soul. Sokka had heard of people losing arms only for the soulmark to appear on the other one. To scar a soulmark as badly as Zuko's was, someone would have had to hold sustained heat to the arm for a while. Sokka just wanted to know what was so bad the Prince of the Actual Fucking Fire Nation had to remove it. Sokka considered for a moment. If Sokka had, say, Azula’s mark on his arm he’d probably try to get rid of it too, but who was that terrible that the Prince of Evil didn’t even want them? Why did the boy want his mark removed?

_ It is none of your business Sokka,  _ said Katara’s voice, like Katara wasn’t one of the nosiest people he knew. Besides, he was on his fifteen minute break, he could afford to engage in a bit more snooping around the flat upstairs. 

Sokka found himself in front of the mirror again. He didn’t mean to, it was just strange to look into a reflective surface and see someone else’s face looking out. Especially if that face was the guy who had been hunting his friends and him for the better part of the year. It was almost addictive, like if he stared long enough he'd see some of himself in Zuko's face. Sokka took everything in. 

Zuko’s face looked… different, when it wasn’t contorted in anger and yelling for the Avatar. Out of the heavy armor and off the ship Zuko no longer looked like the face of his nightmares. He looked almost softer, definitely younger. His hair had grown out, giving him a more boyish look than battle weary soldier. Now, it was messy and, after running his hands through it out of frustration, it was soft and would curl around his fingers. Sokka was loathe to admit it, but it brought out Zuko's other features. The corner of his right eye crinkled whenever Sokka would smile into the mirror, and one of his front teeth was endearingly crooked. Sokka smiled in the mirror, taking in the foreign expression. He kept looking over the face, half expecting it to morph into his own and half staring into Zuko’s eyes. They were, for lack of a better word, beautiful. Sokka knew the boy was his enemy but, the eyes were just so gold, it was like looking into two mini suns. Sokka had never seen anything as gold as Zuko’s eyes. 

_ Dual swords, interwoven with golden fire.  _

There was no way. 

  
  
  
  


Zuko woke up with three worried faces looking down at him. Katara, the Avatar,  _ and what the fuck was that thing.  _

“Motherfuck-” 

“Sokka! No bad language around Aang and Toph!” Katara’s hands were on her hips, as she looked down at him. The creepy looking flying squirrel  _ climbed _ onto the girl’s shoulder and blinked owlishly with eyes that knew way too much for Zuko to be comfortable with. 

“Relaaaaaaxxxx Sugar Queen, it’s not like I haven’t heard worse, in fact you should try cursing you might loosen up a bit.” Zuko looked to his left where a small girl was facing with her back to the rest of the group. He vaguely remembered her presence at the small town where Uncle got hit with lightning….

“Uncle!” 

“Sokka, why do you keep yelling that? We don’t have an Uncle.” Right. He was wearing Sokka’s face, so the girl was convinced he was her brother, who had touched some machine, and then got sick. It would be just like the Water Tribe to poke their noses where they weren’t supposed to be, and end up messing things up for (slightly) innocent random people who just happened to be nearby. Random citizens, who had nothing to do with whatever spiritual fuckery the Avatar was in the mood for today. 

Now that he thought about it, why was he switched with Sokka? He hadn’t, to the extent of his knowledge, been close to the boy in months. The only thing they had in common was residence in the same city, and hundreds of thousands lived in Ba Sing Se. There was no reason for Sokka and him to switch bodies. It should have been someone who was near Sokka at the time, someone who would help him, someone who definitely wasn’t Zuko. The weird flying furry bat thing chirped, almost like it could read Zuko’s mind and was agreeing with him. The creature tilted it’s head, and then decided to attack, giving Zuko a face full of angry demon squirrel. 

“MOMO! Get off of Sokka!”  _ Okay, so that’s what this thing was. It was a Mo-mo. _ In the back of Zuko’s mind he was aware shrieking and flapping his arms wasn’t very prince-like, but he never had any lessons regarding Mo-mos. They were clearly ancient spirit predators the Avatar traveled with and trained in the art of rooting out deception. As the Mo-mo tried to pretend it hadn’t just tried to kill a (sort of?) innocent bystander Zuko contemplated his life choices. It was depressing. 

“Now that Momo’s said hello to you, what’s the invasion plan Sokka?” The Avatar, who clearly didn’t know what a hello was, looked up at Zuko with big gray eyes. Uncomfortably, Zuko noted that they reminded him of Ty Lee. Part of Zuko wanted to just snatch the boy and run, get back to the Fire Nation, present the Avatar and say...what, exactly?  _ Ah yes Father, it is I, your failure of a son reborn in triumph, for I now have captured the Avatar! Please ignore the fact that I currently look like a teenage water peasant, and disregard the distinct smell of bison. I promise it is me! Zuko! No, please don’t throw me in the dungeons _ . Okay so Zuko should probably switch back into his body before bringing Aang to the Fire Nation. That way he won’t get kidnapped before he could even set foot into Caldera. 

A small part of Zuko expressed discomfort of bringing Sokka into Caldera, exposing him to the Fire Court. Zuko told that small part to go away. 

He had to focus. The Avatar was the bridge between the Spirit World and this one, so he could probably fix whatever happened to Sokka and Zuko. Once they were put back in the correct body, Zuko could grab the weakened Avatar and run. He would make it back to the palace, and regain honor from his Father. 

Or, he could return back to his body and go back to the tea shop. Live a simple life as Lee The Tea Server and put this war behind him. Zuko hated to admit it was tempting. He could find peace he was sure. But did he want it? 

That’s a problem for then. He couldn’t get switched back if the kids found out he stole Sokka’s body and stopped trusting him. He needed their trust for the plan to work. He had their trust, as long as everyone thought he was Sokka. The issue now was to figure out what invasion the kid was talking about, and get the kid to knock off the big, curious, eyes thing. It was creepy! All soft and innocent, it reminded him of the expression Azula would wear after she ripped the head off a doll and flung it at her maids. Also, why were they asking him the plan? Wouldn’t that be the job of, you know, the Avatar? 

“Sokka? Did you hear me?” 

“Yes, yes of course I was planning…” 

“Planning how to infiltrate the Earth Palace?” 

“Exactly?”  _ Thank you Katara for having the extreme need to interrupt your brother at all times.  _ “It’s a palace so it will be heavily guarded. We need to…” Zuko knew what the Blue Spirit would do. He would wait in the shadows, steal a guards uniform, get in and get out. But these kids weren’t the Blue Spirit. One was the Avatar, and he assumed the other two were skilled enough benders, even though the Earth Nation girl was turned in the wrong direction. All prodigies, like Azula. 

What would Azula do? 

_ Oh brother, you are so dull sometimes. I honestly am not sure how you survived this long. I would simply steamroll through the insufficient Earth guards and demand to speak with whatever incompetent fool calls himself the Earth King. Then I would assert dominance and torch the CITY TO THE EARTH! IN THE NAME OF OZAI!!  _

“Um, we could just bust through, ask for the Earth King. They wouldn’t suspect such a… direct approach. And, and the Earth King needs to listen to you, you’re the Avatar!” Close enough. 

The Avatar nodded seriously. 

“If Sokka thinks we can do it, then we can. Get ready guys, I don’t think Long Feng is going down without a fight.” The kids started climbing onto Appa, all the while leaving Zuko staring at the ground confused. 

Who was Long Feng? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone was curious, I decided to test out whether or not you actually can run into a door frame if one of your eyes is covered. One stubbed toe later and the answer is yes you can! 
> 
> Sokka: I am a master of deception! My heart is stone cold!   
> Also Sokka: Zukos eyes!!!! So pretty!!! 
> 
> What a disaster bi, I love him.


	5. Zuko Yells at a Monarch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Zuko decides to fight the establishment and Sokka deals with Feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So it's been a hot minute, and sorry for that but to make up for it, here is probably the longest chapter in this fic so far! I hope all of you are having or have had a happy holiday and here's hoping the New Year teaches me time management skills. I pinky promise that it will be a much shorter wait until the next chapter. 
> 
> Additionally, I basically threw out the canon timeline and by next chapter things will really start to differ as both Sokka and Zuko start to put the pieces together.
> 
> Dialogue taken from ATLA episode 2x 17

Aang was one of the worst drivers Zuko had ever seen.  _ Well,  _ thought Zuko,  _ that isn’t quite right. _ The kid had zero fear whatsoever, and was capable of pulling maneuvers and stunts that would leave even the most graceful lizard-bird in awe. The issue was, Aang seemed to forget two things while driving the bison into battle: 1) The bison was the size of a small warship, not a ladyfly and 2) other people  _ who could not control the winds  _ were on the bison. 

“We’re going to die,” yelled the tiny earthbender who was currently clutching on to Zuko for dear life. A small part of Zuko that missed being a big brother was flattered that she chose him (well, chose Sokka, but let him have the win) to hold on to. Another part of Zuko was contemplating whether the girl was holding onto his arm hard enough to remove it (she was) and how much harder it would be to escape death if he also had to lug around an extremely strong child (much harder). The third, and largest part of Zuko was just screaming. 

Now, Zuko was used to crazy stunts and activities, but this wasn’t even his body. He didn't have his swords, or his bending, or Uncle Iroh and his knack for appearing when backup is needed. All he had were three over eager bending prodigies, their terrible animals, and Sokka’s weird boomerang thing. The bison rolled over in the sky to avoid the-- _ the huge fucking boulder!-- _ being launched at them. Zuko frantically grabbed for the saddle and noticed his other companions looking a little green. 

“Aang, we have to land!” Yelled Katara, her braid waving in the air.  _ Agni bless her. _ The boy nodded and steered the bison down, down, down, towards the outer grounds of the palace. Zuko felt a presence to his right and turned just in time to see the Avatar cut an entire boulder in half with a sharp wrist movement. 

_ Okay, so the kid has mastered earthbending. Nice to know.  _

“It’s not going to be a smooth landing” Aang yelled as yet another boulder the size of your average cabbage stand got launched towards them. 

The little earthbender yelled curses in Zuko’s ear that he was positive would have made even the most sea hardened member of his crew blush.  _ So much for not cursing in front of the younger kids, Katara.  _

Zuko risked another glance downward to see what appeared to be a small army amassed around the Earth King’s palace. He saw one of the soldiers begin to lift an arm, and before the army could follow their leader’s order Aang jumped forward, gliding across the thirty feet between the bison and the ground and throwing his staff down in front of him with a cutting motion. Expecting an airbending move, Zuko was shocked to see sections of the earth shoot upwards like geysers made of dirt and stone catapulting the soldiers into the air and providing a wall of cover for the landing bison. 

With a bellow, the bison hit the earth and proceeded to terrorize the nearby ostrich horses. The remaining kids jumped out and began to fight like a well-oiled machine. Okay, a well-oiled machine with one squeaky gear that was in fact a body swapped member of the enemy nation. 

The group watched forward, Zuko who was used to pouring attention into his peripherals noticed a squadron flanking the Avatar and his companions on either side, yelling he ducked down expecting to be hit with a barrage of rocks. Instead, the little girl began to move forward in a sliding motion, and slabs of rock elevated and acted as moving shields, popping up and blocking the enemy stones. Zuko looked on in confusion, ninety percent of the blocks were pulverized--how did the girl know where they were with such accuracy? The blocks that did make it through were either shattered by Aang’s staff or Katara and her water whips. Zuko longed for his fire, or his dao, but instead held onto the club and proceeded to bob and weave, presenting himself as a rather annoying but insignificant moving target. He kept his eye on the blind girl who was navigating the terrain like it was all muscle memory and made a note to ask about her pseudo vision. 

“Sorry” yelled Katara as she sideswiped four earth kingdom soldiers at once. Zuko was vividly reminded of the way Ty Lee would apologize to him while trying to perfect her chi blocking. 

“Knock out the soldiers now, apologize later” shot back Zuko, who swung his club and knocked one of the smaller rocks back towards a soldier, hitting him hard in the space between his eyes and knocking him down. 

Forty more soldiers ran towards them in a perfectly straight line that conveyed years of training together. An impressive show of force, great for marches around a city, but useless when going up against an enemy stronger than you were.

“Toph!” The girl grinned and thrusted her hands forward, Zuko watched in terrified awe as the stone planks rose up and fell over like dominoes, trapping soldiers in between them. Seriously,  _ how was she doing this _ ? 

The group again moved forward and suddenly the world around Zuko was covered in shade, reluctantly he glanced up to see two giant statues of badgermoles descending on the group. Like they had been fighting together for years, Aang and Toph pulled at the ground creating a wedge for the statues to shatter against. As the dust settled Zuko saw Katara run ahead out of the rubble, sprinting towards the river of water that ran around the palace. Pulling her water into a makeshift bridge of ice, Katara used her momentum to fly through the air, kicking up her leg in a graceful move that reminded Zuko of the court entertainers his mother used to love. Instead of the long lengths of silk the dancers would tie to their ankles, swirling in the air and creating tornados of color, Katara pulled up a ribbon of water as she twirled, using it to throw the moat guards into the water. As they ran up the bridge Katara was briefly blocked by the railing, but emerged again in a defensive crouch with water encasing her arms. Yanking the remaining soldiers off the battlements, she ensured the way was cleared up to the palace steps. 

Zuko craned his neck up, up, up and saw, like fire ants converging on a bun soaked in honey and dropped on the floor, hundreds of earth kingdom soldiers swarming the palace steps. The girl, Toph, raised her hands like a conductor readying the pit and pulled  _ inwards _ dropping low and shifting her weight. The steep stairs turned into a slide, a slide they were currently rising up as Appa’s tail boosted them. The girl held her ground, despite the sweat dripping from her brow. 

_ This was the Earth Kingdom Honor Guard? Shameful.  _

After reaching the top of the unnecessarily high stairs the group ran into the large entrance hall, where they were surrounded by-

“It’s the Dai Li!” Studying their uniforms, Zuko realized that these were members of the same agency that held the Avatar’s bison beneath Lake Laogai, and were also responsible for Jet’s abduction.  _ Why were they in the palace?  _ Before he had time to think about the implications of  _ that,  _ Toph crushed the agents between pillars of earth and the ceiling. 

“Toph, do your feet see the Earth King?”  _ Katara, not every Earth Kingdom citizen knows the layout of the palace, and seriously, what is up with Toph’s feet?  _

“No, I am still hoping we can turn around and leave Ba Sing Se.” Toph snarked back as she casually took out another five agents. Zuko used the distraction to run around the hall and randomly open sets of doors. Behind him he heard the sounds of a fight: bending, men yelling, and Katara _still apologizing._ Zuko tried not to be offended that the girl never apologized to him, but instead felt bad for members of a secret government agency. Peering down a hallway he saw a set of overly ornate doors, tall as the mast of his old ship and decorated in gold symbols. Bingo. Throwing his body into a sprint Zuko charged at the doors, belatedly he realized that facing a truly realized bender like the King in his current body wasn’t wise, but hey, it wasn’t his body that would get banged up. Using his momentum he swung his club hitting the pressure point just below the knob where the lock would be. Unfortunately, these doors must have been opened via bending because Zuko felt the impact reverberate up his arms. From behind him, Aang blasted a gust of air, swinging the doors open and catapulting Zuko towards the throne of the Earth King. 

“Sorry Sokka!” 

The rest of the group lined up next to him, falling into battle position as the, _ surprisingly weak looking,  _ Earth King gasped. There was no stance, no volley of rock, no kill command. This was not a battle weary monarch, and while Zuko knew from Uncle Iroh that appearances could be deceiving he was pretty sure this man was in no way ready for conflict. 

Aang started forward, and suddenly a man dressed in dark colors stepped in front of the Earth King, assisted by more of the mysterious agents. Zuko felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, similar to the way Azula’s tutors made him feel. Ty Lee would have said the man had manipulative energy, Mai would have said he was like her father, and Azula would have called him a useful tool. Again, he was face to face with that old general in the war room. The man before him clutched at power, whatever power possible. That power hungry gaze was staring at Zuko, staring at  _ Sokka _ like he was an exceptionally interesting science experiment. Like he wanted to cut him open to see what was inside. Protectiveness surged in Zuko’s gut, he wanted this man nowhere near Sokka.  _ Where did that come from?  _

“Long Feng, step aside. We need to speak to the Earth King.” Aang ordered.  _ Oh. so this was Long Feng _ . Instead of listening to the orders of the Avatar, the man simply turned around and accused the group of planning to overthrow the Earth King. 

“How could you say that?” Zuko wasn’t aware he was speaking until the words had left his mouth. He realized that he probably wasn’t helping matters but honestly that was the stupidest lie he had ever heard. How would the Earth King even believe that? Surely he knew that the Avatar was an ally to the Earth Kingdom. Noticing the looks the others were giving him, he took a hard left back into character. “We’re here to help,”  _ okay that sounds like something Sokka would say.  _ Katara affirmed that by asking the king to trust them. 

To his complete shock, the Earth King to the side of Long Feng, accusing them of storming the palace, and damaging his property. Which, as Toph pointed out was slightly true but also entirely off base. The Earth King offered an ultimatum. 

“Drop your weapons, and stand down,” Long Feng offered Zuko a cruel smirk. Zuko heard a clatter and saw Aang drop his staff. Aang who had only been looking at the Earth King. Aang who hadn’t seen Long Feng. Long Feng who was perfectly willing to kidnap an innocent animal, and who could easily be capable of attacking warriors who lowered their weapons for peace. An attack without honor. Long Feng’s smirk turned into an outright grin, similar to the way Azula would grin when she promised their mother they would be “playing nice”. 

_ Azula always lies.  _

“Aang it’s a trap!” The Dai Li launched stone hands at the group and Zuko dropped to the ground and rolled. He felt a gust of wind as the cuffs flew over his hand hard enough to loosen his hair tie. Jumping to his feet he zigzagged closer to the throne, launching his body forward and aiming his club at Long Feng’s annoyingly smug face... only for another agent to slam into his gut with a stone covered shoulder.  _ Agni’s third cousin that hurt. _

Zuko dropped to the ground and wheezed at the foot of the throne. Long Feng grabbed Zuko, no _Sokka's_ hair and yanked him up. _Hard._ Hard enough for Sokka's hair tie to finally give way. Zuko felt wisps of hair brush his shoulders as Long Feng whispered in his ear. 

“It seems you have recovered quite well from your accident" Long Feng knew. He knew what had transpired, and if the look he gave Zuko upon his entrance was any indication, he probably knew that Sokka and Zuko switched bodies. Long Feng knew more than him, and that was unacceptable.

He heard Katara yelling at Long Feng, but a feeling of calm cut through the haze of shock and pain enough for him to hear Aang’s order. 

“Sokka, stand down,” Zuko paused. “We need to show the Earth King we mean no harm.” Stone cuffs circled his wrists and he was brought to stand between Katara and Toph. He pushed the pain in his stomach down, and instead focused on the enemy before him. He didn’t know if Long Feng knew who  _ exactly  _ was inhibiting Sokka’s body, but if he told Sokka’s friends Zuko could kiss his plan goodbye. If he could gauge Long Feng’s weakness maybe he had a shot. He had to know his enemy. The Dai Li ignored the Earth King like he wasn’t even there, instead following Long Feng’s words as law. The Earth King did not carry himself with the confidence of a ruler, the way Zuko’s family did or the Northern Watertribe’s chief did. He simply waited to be told what to do. 

Like a puppet on a string. 

The Earth King was a puppet. 

“Detain the Avatar and make sure he and his friends never see the light of day again” Long Feng tilted his head towards what Zuko assumed were the dungeons.  _ We’re trying to help you, you idiots. Wait no, I’m not trying to help.  _ They’re  _ trying to help you, you idiots. Did the Earth King not understand the ramifications of his actions outside these walls? Did he care that his nation was losing the war? Did he just give up?  _

“The Avatar?” The Earth King pointed at Zuko, well Sokka. “You’re the Avatar?”  _ Agni, this man was a bit slow on the uptake. An insult to the Divine Right to rule.  _

“Not me! Him,” Zuko jerked his shoulder in Aang's direction. Aang waved.  _ Wait a second, his hands are supposed to be bound?  _ As the pain in his stomach gave an angry pulse, Zuko suddenly felt a lot less angry on Aang’s behalf. Long Feng simply looked confused at the idea of a young child busting through his specially designed cuffs. Zuko thought back on the many times Aang had escaped the various places he had been held in.  _ Join the club Long Feng. Join the club.  _

“What does it matter Your Highness? They’re enemies of the state.” The King seemed willing to agree, until his ...bear, sniffed Aang and seemed to find him friendly. For Zuko, this was the final straw. 

“You’re listening to a... a... bear instead of the words of the spirits damned Avatar? I mean accepting the words of this sycophant over here is bad enough. Good rulers don’t allow themselves to be led around on a leash. Do you not have any concept of what is going on? I mean, what kind of ruler are you? Do you even think for yourself? You’re people are being killed by the thousands and you just sit here--” a stone gag closed over Zuko’s mouth cutting off his rant. The group was looking at him strangely again, his speech was probably too harsh to have come from Sokka but Zuko felt like it needed to be said, secret identity or no secret identity. 

“My people aren’t being killed by the thousands? What are you talking about?”  _ There’s no way.  _

“Uh, the war, your Earthliness. There’s a war going on. The Dai Li kept it secret from you,” Aang moved closer to the throne and continued talking. “It’s a conspiracy to control the city and to control you.” 

“A secret war? That’s crazy.” Zuko inhaled deeply. Aang went on to list the crimes Long Feng had committed in his tenure as Leader of the Dai Li. 

“And he brainwashed and killed our friend Jet, and his inventions hurt Sokka,” Jet was, no Jet couldn’t be dead. Zuko heard a strange ringing in his ears. He hadn’t known Jet very well, hadn’t liked what he did know, but it was a fight between him and Jet that led to the other teen’s capture. A fight that was brought on because of some foolish bending. It was his actions that led Jet to his death.

“Is this true?” Zuko realized the Earth King was looking at him. He nodded, and the King gestured for one of Dai Li to remove the gag around his mouth. 

“I can prove it!” He shouted over Long Feng’s complaints. Long Feng turned and looked at him. Zuko held his stare. “Bring us to Lake Laogai.” 

When he first felt protectiveness, Sokka almost dropped his tray. It was only after a moment of introspection to find the source of these feelings that he realized they belong to his soulmate. (There was no way it was Zuko. He refused to believe it). Sokka remembered when his mother used to explain how she differentiated between her feelings and his dads. When you feel things through a soul bond, she told him. it was often without source, and would initiate slightly to the right of the heart, like a mirror image. Until just now, Sokka would also know because the feelings would be muted as if they were being felt at the other end of a tunnel. The surge of protectiveness was the most potent thing he had felt through the bond in nearly four years. It was so strong in fact, that Sokka frantically looked around for a moment sure that he had seen someone harming Katara. It was the only explanation for why he wanted to grab someone and hide.  _ Not someone,  _ he realized _ my soulmate.  _

_ Oh shit. That’s my soulmate.  _ His brain spinning, Sokka continued to bus tables. It could be no coincidence that the bond regained its power right after he changed bodies. The spirit energy must have cleared out the muck somehow, like someone removing the leaves from the gutter of a house so the water flows faster. If only he still had that book from Professor Zei. As Sokka ran through the possibilities in his mind, a nasty little voice in his head decided to speak up.  _ Maybe it was just your body that couldn’t connect with your soulmate. Maybe you’re just defective.  _

Sokka shook his head. He wasn’t the only one who couldn’t reach his soulmate. Yue said she had problems with it before she, well. Sokka really hoped he wasn’t about to turn into an object native to his element. With his luck, it wouldn’t even be anything cool like the moon, maybe an especially sandy clump of seaweed. 

He went to the back to make another cup of Leaf Juice (the drink seemed to have really caught on) when it felt like a rock hit his stomach  _ hard.  _ He was grateful for the divider Uncle Iroh put up, so he could clutch one of the shelves and count deep breaths. His soulmate was in trouble. His soulmate was in trouble his soulmate was in trouble and he was here in a different body far from his team and supplies and where even is this location what is he going to do--

  
_Breathe Sokka, Breathe. You can’t help your soulmate if you pass out from panic._ Sokka forced himself to calm down, and then tried something he never had before. He took his calm and pushed it _through_ the bond to his soulmate. _It’s okay_ he tried to tell them. _You’re gonna be okay._

When he first felt the blast of protectiveness, Sokka almost dropped his tray. It was only after a moment of introspection to find the source of these feelings that he realized they belong to his soulmate. (There was no way it was Zuko. He refused to believe it). Sokka remembered when his mother used to explain how she differentiated between her feelings and his dads. When you feel things through a soul bond, she told him. it was often without source, and would initiate slightly to the right of the heart, like a mirror image. Until just now, Sokka would also know because the feelings would be muted as if they were being felt at the other end of a tunnel. The surge of protectiveness was the most potent thing he had felt through the bond in nearly four years. It was so strong in fact, that Sokka frantically looked around for a moment sure that he had seen someone harming Katara. It was the only explanation for why he wanted to grab someone and hide.  _ Not someone,  _ he realized _ my soulmate.  _

_ Oh shit. That’s my soulmate.  _ His brain spinning, Sokka continued to bus tables. It could be no coincidence that the bond regained its power right after he changed bodies. The spirit energy must have cleared out the muck somehow, like someone removing the leaves from the gutter of a house so the water flows faster. If only he still had that book from Professor Zei. As Sokka ran through the possibilities in his mind, a nasty little voice in his head decided to speak up.  _ Maybe it was just your body that couldn’t connect with your soulmate. Maybe you’re just defective.  _

Sokka shook his head. He wasn’t the only one who couldn’t reach his soulmate. Yue said she had problems with it before she, well. Sokka really hoped he wasn’t about to turn into an object native to his element. With his luck, it wouldn’t even be anything cool like the moon, maybe an especially sandy clump of seaweed. 

He went to the back to make another cup of Leaf Juice (the drink seemed to have really caught on) when it felt like a rock hit his stomach  _ hard.  _ He was grateful for the divider Uncle Iroh put up, so he could clutch one of the shelves and count deep breaths. His soulmate was in trouble. His soulmate was in trouble his soulmate was in trouble and he was here in a different body far from his team and supplies and where even is this location what is he going to do--

_ Breathe Sokka, Breathe. You can’t help your soulmate if you pass out from panic.  _ Sokka forced himself to calm down, and then tried something he never had before. He took his calm and pushed it  _ through _ the bond to his soulmate.  _ It’s okay  _ he tried to tell them.  _ You’re gonna be okay.  _

He could hear Uncle Iroh on the other side of the divider. 

“Are you alright Prince Zuko. Do you need some tea?” Sokka didn’t need tea. He needed answers. 

Sokka was about to exit from behind the screen painted with jasmine and lilies when a surge of anger almost knocked him off his feet. If he thought he had felt anger through the bond before, he was sorely mistaken. This was boiling hot rage. He looked around frantically, He couldn’t give into the anger, if he blew his cover now Uncle Iroh would probably boil on his face. Not to mention how angry the customers would get if their much anticipated lunch took longer than usual. It was the midday rush for Tui’s sake and Sokka was a perfectionist. No being murdered until after closing time. 

“I have an excellent calming blend for you to try,” Uncle Iroh wheedled. Calming, calming was good. Sokka needed calm, some tea couldn’t hurt. 

He walked up to the counter and took a long, slow sip of the tea. The blend was delightfully warm, working its way through his body and relaxing his muscles. Sokka felt his eyes close. 

“Hello young lady, are you here for my nephew by any chance?” Sokka’s eyes shot open. There at the other end of the counter, talking to Uncle Iroh was a girl about his age. She was pretty, with dark brown hair and excited green eyes but the way she was smiling at him, well at Zuko, was unsettling. 

“Hey Lee. it’s me. Jin. I had a lot of fun on our date the other day.” _T_ _heir w_ _ hat?  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zuko: *exposes a government conspiracy* 
> 
> Sokka: I could turn into SEAWEED


End file.
